It’s safe to say there probably isn’t a more exciting band in San Diego than Lady Dottie & The Diamonds. Performing every Wednesday at Gallagher’s, the band excels at gritty R&B, with elements of funk and garage rock mixed in. The quintet plays a mix of great originals like “I Ain’t Mad At Ya,” which sounds just like the tunes of their musical heroes, authentically performed with real passion. There are plenty of excellent cover tunes in the set as well, like “Have Love Will Travel,” but whether you enjoy the old classics or the new material, this band provides some of the best dance music to be found in San Diego.

Rock fans have a great new band to check out, Saint Shameless, appearing at Brick by Brick on Oct. 10. Featuring guitarist Rich Travers, drummer Chris Rowden, bassist Steve Rodriguez and lead guitarist Kevin Ring, the band is a communal affair, with all four participating in the songwriting process and all four contributing vocals. That said, it’s the latter two who give the band its serious pedigree and local music fans reason to cheer. Rodriguez formerly held down the bottom end with legendary rockers The Dragons, while Ring is a founding member of both Manual Scan and the Shambles. Although the band does not perform songs from its previous projects, the mix of elements these two performers bring to the musical table is exhilarating.

An interesting double bill pops up at The Griffin on Oct. 10, featuring singer-songwriters Lee Dewyze and Dawn Mitschele. Now five albums into his career, Illinois-based Dewyze is best known as the winner of season 9 of “American Idol.” While he falls into one-hit wonder territory with the 2010 song “Beautiful Day” (#24), his legion of fans love still his earnest performing style. Meanwhile, his show features a particularly strong opener in Mitschele. With melodies that sometimes border on the Beatle-esque, Mitschele is not your typical cookie-cutter, girl with a guitar, but a crafter of wonderfully melodic tunes, as heard on such TV shows as “Elementary” and “666 Park Avenue.” If you’re a fan of radio-friendly pop rock, you won’t want to miss a second of this show.

One of San Diego’s most vibrant performers, Danielle LoPresti performs a Sunday-morning set at the Kona Kai Resort Lounge on Oct. 13, 11 a.m. LoPresti is one of the area’s most important artists on a number of fronts, not only making music herself, but also as a co-promoter of such events as San Diego IndieFest, giving many others the opportunity to take their music further. LoPresti has recently won a battle with cancer, taking time off from the stage, which makes this return to regular live performing extra special.

Local music icon Daniel Jackson performs at Dizzy’s on Oct. 19, 8 p.m. The acclaimed tenor saxophonist and pianist has been a mainstay of San Diego’s jazz community since the 1950s, mentoring countless other musicians along the way. Jackson will be backed at this show by a band featuring bassist Marshall Hawkins, percussionist Roy McCurdy, trombonist George Bohanon, guitarists Jacques Lesure and Bob Boss, plus pianist Joshua White and guest vocalist Dorothy Annette. As Jackson is the recipient of the 2013 San Diego Music Awards Lifetime Achievement honors, music fans should do themselves a favor and check out this show from one of the area’s living legends.

Todo Mundo celebrates the release of its debut album, “Conexion,” with a free CD-release show on the beach at the Kona Kai Resort on Oct. 12, 6 p.m.

“We describe our music as ‘world fusion’ so people can understand it,” said frotnman Santiago Orozco. “Todo Mundo combines many different sounds and rhythms from all over the world. Some of the genres that we fuse together include reggae, Spanish rumba, samba, bossa nova, and Middle Eastern/gypsy styles.”

The band plans to pull out all the stops for this CD release.

“For a show like this, which is outdoor and has a big stage, we’ll play a high energy set, complete with our full band, to keep people dancing the whole time,” said Orozco.

Live musicIt’s safe to say there probably isn’t a more exciting band in San Diego than Lady Dottie & The Diamonds. Performing every Wednesday at Gallagher’s, the band excels at gritty R&B, with elements of f...